


Known For a While

by MarshmalowMilkshake



Series: Different Days (Merlin One-Shots) [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Arthur isn't a complete idiot, M/M, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Merthur - Freeform, platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:35:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22157122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarshmalowMilkshake/pseuds/MarshmalowMilkshake
Summary: Arthur and the Knights learn that Merlin isn't all that he seems after a bandit ambush goes wrong.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Different Days (Merlin One-Shots) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594891
Comments: 11
Kudos: 818





	Known For a While

As Merlin slowed his pace so that he could chat alongside Gwaine and Lancelot, Arthur's thoughts drifted. It had been months since he'd come to the revelation that Merlin was a sorcerer. One day, he'd had a little thought. It was nearly dismissed before some things seemed to click into place.

Arthur had spent weeks tossing the idea about in his head. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Merlin cast magic. For a few days, he couldn't believe it. But he saw Merlin do it again. Arthur didn't want to believe that his most trusted friend was a sorcerer.

But he'd been forced to think. What if magic wasn't evil? Merlin couldn't be; Arthur had seen far too much good in him to ever be. And yet, Arthur was lost. He wanted to ask Merlin so many things, but Arthur was pretty sure that Merlin had no idea that his secret had been uncovered, and he didn't want to scare away his best friend.

So Arthur had been stuck. He didn't know how to tell Merlin that he knew, but he wanted Merlin to know that he was safe in Camelot, safe with Arthur. The prince kept going in circles, unable to form a plan in which everything would turn out fine, where Merlin stayed with him.

With that being said, Arthur found it both a blessing and a curse when they were overwhelmed by bandits. Their weapons were taken from them, and they were tied up in a line. The Knights, Prince, and his sorcerer servant overheard the bandits speaking. They came to the conclusion(smart bandits) that if they left the knights alive, they'd somehow escape.

So they decided to kill them and collect the 'dead' reward. A few of the knights were readying themselves to accept their fate, a few were trying to think of some way out. Gwaine was wishing he could have another pint of ale before he left. Arthur was one of the few thinking of a way out.

Merlin's head was spinning. He had been given a good, hard knock on it, and apparently he was talking too much so they'd gagged him. Gwaine received the same treatment earlier.

Merlin was running out of options. The ones that didn't involve magic were out of stock. The warlock was trying to work up the courage to reveal himself, or find a way without revealing himself directly.

Arthur saw one option left as the bandits took their time to load the crossbows, antagonizing the knights. His heart pounding, he turned to Merlin. "Please tell me you have some trick that can get us out of here?" He whispered.

Merlin's eyes widened dramatically. Did Arthur know? Was it possible? Or was he just referring to the stupid things Merlin did to keep his cover?

Arthur saw Merlin's confusion and panic clear as day. How he had survived so far became a mystery to Arthur. "Merlin, you idiot- _Magic!"_

Merlin thought his heart stopped beating. Arthur knew. Arthur knew and he was asking him to do magic- He was asking him to do magic!

Merlin turned to look at the bandits with a renewed energy. What should he do? How could he disable as many as possible? They were nearly done loading the crossbows- The crossbows! Arthur looked at Merlin in concern- he wasn't doing anything.

Suddenly, the crossbows reared up all at once and knocked the bandits' heads. They stumbled backwards, grumbling in confusion. Before they could recover, their shoes seemed to find all the uneven ground in the area and they tripped, landing on each other.

Just a second later, the bonds flew from around the knights' wrists and around the bandits'. Lancelot, who had not heard Arthur whisper to Merlin, was near panic wondering just what on Earth Merlin was thinking, being so blatant and obvious.

The other knights were just as confused as the bandits. They all knew magic was at hand, but had no idea who was casting said magic. The knights moved to form a circle.

Arthur turned to Merlin. "Fantastic start, but got anything more?" He whispered. Merlin gave him a look and grunted through the gag. Arthur felt momentarily stupid as he untied the gag. On the opposite side of the circle, Elyan debated doing the same for Gwaine.

Merlin spat after the cloth left his mouth. "That was disgusting." He commented.

Arthur looked at him in exasperation. "Merlin! Do something!"

Again, Merlin scanned the area. He didn't have a full view though, so he slipped into the center of the knights and turned around, taking in their entire surroundings. They weren't close enough to do what he wanted.

By this point, the bandits must have assumed the magic was over, as they begun to charge the knights. Some archers readied their bows. The bandits were finally within range. "Duck!" Merlin called out, and once the knights were low enough to avoid it, Merlin threw out a spell. It passed through the area like a sphere, and any it touched collapsed without a sound.

The knights slowly stood and surveyed the fallen bandits. Their gazes landed on Merlin. "Did you...?" Elyan trailed off.

"Yes." Merlin replied, and slipped through the circle. "They're just asleep. It won't hold forever. We should be gone by then."

"You're a sorcerer?" Leon voiced.

Merlin shrugged, too tired to correct him. He was currently more worried about the bandits recognizing him. That is, assuming that none of the knights turned him in. If he could just make them forget... A memory spell. The warlock began to form the spell in his mind. He needed it to be precise, or he could say goodbye to his life.

"Merlin? What are you doing?" Arthur was the first to notice Merlin's new objective.

Lancelot quickly voiced his wariness. "No, Merlin. I know that look. Whatever you're going to do, don't do it."

"Well, if you decide not to kill me, it'll be pointless if they remember." Merlin replied, and continued making the spell. He didn't want it to affect any of his friends, so he linked the memory spell to the sleeping spell.

He was pulled from his focus by Percival. "Merlin, I've seen the druids do some magic. You can't do any more."

Merlin was lightheaded from the blow, but he knew that he had to cast it. He frowned at Percival, but closed his eyes and went back to the spell. He had to get it perfect, or things would be worse.

Percival looked to Arthur for help. "Arthur, please. He's already done a lot. Any more might kill him. I don't know much, but I can tell a big spell from a small one."

Arthur blinked. "Wait, really?"

Percival sighed. "Magic comes from the... Energy of the sorcerer. They don't just say stuff and things happen."

Arthur's gaze landed on his servant and best friend. Could magic really hurt him? "Merlin." He didn't respond. "Merlin?"

Merlin raised his hands, and started saying things in a language he couldn't understand. Arthur's heart dropped to his stomach. He was going to hurt himself. Likely, very badly. "Merlin, stop." Merlin stopped speaking, and each bandit squirmed for a second before stilling.

Merlin's knees buckled. Arthur darted forward and caught him. Merlin's eyes slowly opened and he groaned. "Merlin! Are you alright?" Arthur asked him, adjusting slightly to better support his weight.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Merlin mumbled. He winced.

"Fine, huh? Then what was that wince for?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, um. I think an arrow nicked me. It's not bad."

"Merlin! Where? Show me." Arthur commanded.

"Fine, later. We have to leave before they wake up." Merlin reiterated his earlier statement.

"Alright. But what about our stuff? How're we supposed to find it-" Elyan began, but was interrupted by Merlin raising his hand. They heard a rustling about the camp, before their belonging flew through the air and hovered in front of them.

"There. Now let's go." They gaped at Merlin, who was still doing magic even though Percival had said it could kill him. Arthur wanted to yell at him a bit for reasons, but Merlin passed out. Arthur grumbled about stubborn servants and best friends before scooping Merlin into his arms.

The knights grabbed their things from the air and followed Arthur, who had spotted the horses. "Percival, help me for a moment." Percival held Merlin while Arthur mounted his horse. He took Merlin back and settled the servant in front of him.

They didn't talk as they rode toward Camelot. Merlin stirred a few times, but he didn't wake. Arthur tried to gauge the knights' reactions to Merlin's magic.

Lancelot didn't seem surprised. Percival looked more curious than anything. Arthur didn't know about Elyan or Leon. Gwaine was struggling with the knot on his gag before Lancelot freed him.

Merlin woke at the darker half of dusk. He groaned, and brought a hand to his head. "Ow. He got me pretty good." Merlin grumbled. It was then that Merlin looked up and saw the knights' eyes on him. "Oh." He said sheepishly, before missing a face. "Where's Arthur?"

Arthur cleared his throat behind Merlin, and the warlock jumped impressively for being on a horse. Despite the awkwardness (and maybe/probably tension) they lightly laughed.

That gave Merlin a little hope. He looked down at his lap, still nervous. They know. They all know. And Merlin was there, in front of Arthur on his horse- "Why am I on your horse?" Merlin blurted.

"You were unconscious, Merlin. You would have fallen off your own horse." Arthur replied. The prince addressed his knights. "We should make camp. Keep an eye out for a good spot."

Merlin thought that was a fair answer, except that, "Why am I still on your horse?" He whispered the question.

Arthur leaned in closer to Merlin's ear and whispered his answer. "Because I can't have you running away, now can I?" Arthur was teasing his friend, but he probably should have thought more before speaking, especially considering that he didn't want Merlin to run away and said boy was wondering if Arthur was going to turn him in.

It wasn't long until Leon had found a clear area that offered them cover. "There's a creek not too far away." He added.

Merlin knew that Arthur was watching the entire time he helped the knights make camp. Merlin sat nervously as he tended the fire and the meat cooking over it. He was just waiting for someone to break the silence. It was suffocating. When Merlin couldn't take it anymore, he blurted out, "Somebody say something."

Arthur looked at him in surprise for a moment. Leon, however, beat him to talking. "How long have you been a sorcerer?"

Merlin gazed into the fire as the others watched him intently. "I'm not a sorcerer." He answered softly.

"Then how did you do magic?" Leon demanded.

"I'm a warlock."

"What's the difference?" Elyan inquired.

"Warlocks are born with magic." Merlin replied.

"You mean, you've had magic your whole life?" Leon asked.

"Yes. Magic itself is not evil. It's a tool, just like a hammer. It can be used to build or destroy. It depends on who is wielding it." Merlin explained. "Lance, Gwaine, let me see your wounds."

This was smart thinking on Merlin's part. Lancelot trusted him, and Gwaine was enough of a daredevil to do it anyway. Lance offered his hand to Merlin, which had been cut through his gloves. Merlin didn't bother trying to hide the gold the knew filled his eyes. He spoke the healing words softly and the shallow cut mended itself.

The other knights watched with wide eyes. "Thank you, Merlin." Lancelot said casually, rubbing his fingers over where the cut had been.

Gwaine, impulsively, stuck his face toward Merlin expectantly. Merlin had to hold back a laugh and grin as he fixed the wound. It didn't help that Gwaine tried to watch as it healed, resulting in the knight going cross-eyed and tipping. He had to take his eyes off his (healed) wound to right himself before he fell. Merlin helped steady him by the shoulder, without magic.

Merlin's hands returned to his lap where he kept his gaze. "It's like it was never there!" Gwaine announced after examining his face as best as he could without a mirror. Gwaine looked at Merlin with an expression of wonder. "All those times I saw you do magic and just thought my ale was visiting in my sober hours..."

This earned a small bout of laughter from the knights, and a faint smile from Merlin. Elyan sighed. "How did we never notice?"

Percival looked around shyly. "There were a couple times that I thought magic..." He trailed off.

"Who knows, Merlin? Who knows about this?" Gwaine suddenly demanded, protective of his friend.

"Just Gaius. And my mother. And, well..." Merlin paused, briefly glancing at Lancelot. The knights caught it though.

"Lance! You knew?" Leon exclaimed.

"Yeah." Lancelot replied.

"How long have you known and not told us?" Elyan asked.

"Since the griffin." He answered, readying himself for their outbursts he knew were coming. Arthur just stared at Lancelot.

Leon's jaw slacked. "Since the griffin? You mean this whole time? How'd he tell you?"

"He didn't tell me. I heard him enchant my weapon as I charged the beast." Lancelot said.

"Are you serious? Who else knew? Am I the only one besides Leon who didn't?" Elyan compained.

"I never would have guessed." Leon admitted.

The knights realized that Arthur had yet to speak on the subject. Leon spoke for all of them. "Sire? What of you?"

Merlin recalled Arthur telling him to do magic, and his heart stuttered. But, if Arthur had known before, and he hadn't turned him in... Merlin was confused beyond belief.

"I knew." Arthur said softly. The knights gaped at him. "Merlin, walk with me." It wasn't a question, but Merlin didn't think it was a command either.

Merlin nodded and stood with Arthur, following him into the woods. They walked side by side for a while. It was serene, other than how nervous Merlin was. Any wrong step and he'd be done for.

"I've known for a few months now," Arthur began to speak. "And I've had a lot of time to think."

"So that's what's been bothering you." Merlin said to himself, though Arthur heard.

"You noticed? What did you think was bothering me?" Arthur wondered.

"A girl you were too embarrassed to to talk about." Merlin smirked slightly.

Arthur's nose wrinkled. "There is no girl." But some of the things Merlin had said to him now made sense. He had thought Merlin was just being odd. Now, he realized Merlin had tried to be reassuring.

"Really? No girl catching the eye of the prince?" Merlin teased, forgetting for a moment what they came here to talk about, falling back into their usual banter.

"No, I've been a bit preoccupied by a sorcerer- or, warlock, is it?" Arthur replied, glancing at Merlin for confirmation, who nodded. "Correct me if I'm wrong. You didn't tell me because you thought I'd have you killed. You've saved my life, multiple times."

Merlin didn't say anything to contradict him, and Arthur stopped walking. "Why?" The way Arthur said it stopped Merlin in his tracks, and made the warlock look to him. Arthur's eyes were filled with emotions Merlin hadn't thought Arthur would feel towards him.

"Why?" Merlin echoed.

"Why did you save me life?" Arthur spoke his words harshly. "Why do you continue to? Why save mine when you fear for your own?"

"Because you're my friend." Merlin tried to smother the nerves in his stomach. "It's my destiny. To protect you. You are going to be the greatest king Albion will ever see, and I am to get you there. You will unite the lands of Albion and bring peace. I know it."

Arthur stared at Merlin as if he was a puzzle beyond solving. "The greatest king?"

Merlin nodded, as serious as Arthur had ever seen him. "I believe it. The druids believe it. The dragon, too."

Arthur couldn't begin to comprehend just what all that meant. There was one question burning within him. "Why-" His voice cracked and broke off. Once he found it again, he looked into the blue of Merlin's eyes. "Why don't you trust me?"

Merlin's eyes widened yet another time. Was that troubling Arthur more that that he had magic? "Arthur. I do trust you. I just, I didn't want to put you in a position to have to choose between me or your father."

Arthur stared. Here he thought that Merlin didn't trust him, that he was afraid of him, but he was just a selfless and stubborn friend. A stupid, loving idiot.

Arthur pulled Merlin into a tight embrace. For a second, Merlin was baffled, and then he melted into it, feeling years of stress and anxiety begin to evaporate. "C'mon, let's head back." Arthur pulled away reluctantly. "The knights will be worrying."

"You reckon they think we're fighting?" Merlin inquired cheerfully, more lighthearted than Arthur had ever seen him.

"I don't know, but there wouldn't be much of a battle between you and I." Arthur remarked confidently.

"You're right. I'd win before you could draw your sword." Merlin added, grinning.

"Oh." Then Arthur's thoughts drifted to when they met. "Wait- when we first met and fought-" Arthur looked to Merlin was smirking conspiratorially. "You cheated!"

Merlin laughed at the accusation. "How could I have cheated if you didn't say what the rules were?"

"You-!" Arthur shouted, and the chase began. "How are you so fast?" Arthur called out.

"There's lots to run from!" Merlin shouted back, "And to run to!"

Arthur cringed at the realization of just how much running Merlin must do. He shouldn't have to, he thought. But he still deserves a good bit of horseplay.

The knights heard the running towards camp, and stood with swords drawn. Merlin leapt into the light cast by the fire, and flashed a grin at the knights before he was tackled by Arthur. Merlin made a surprised 'eep' noise at the impact. The knights watched in utter confusion.

Merlin yelped, and Arthur quickly gained the upper hand. He had one arm around Merlin's chest, holding him in place and the other scrubbed against Merlin's scalp, much to his protest. "Arthur, hey! Stop it! _Arthur!"_

Arthur laughed as he released Merlin, though it faded as he realized two things. "Merlin! Do you ever eat? I can actually feel your ribs!"

"I do!" Merlin said defensively.

"Not enough, apparently. Let's take a look at your arm, shall we?" Arthur recalled.

"My arm? Oh, right." Merlin remember himself, his wound throbbing at the thought. Merlin slipped off his jacket to get a better look at it through the slit in his sleeve. He couldn't see it very well.

"Don't be such a girl, Merlin. Take your shirt off, you won't see it otherwise." Arthur told him.

"It's fine." Merlin replied instead.

"Merlin, I'm no physician, but I do know that you shouldn't leave it unattended." Elyan spoke up.

"It's fine." Merlin repeated.

"Now you have to, just 'cause you refused." Gwaine insisted.

"Excuse-" Merlin began to demand, but was interrupted.

Arthur bent down and in one motion he had grabbed the hem of Merlin's tunic and pulled it over his head, all while saying, "Off it goes."

They all saw the scars that littered his torso, but the burn stood out to them. "Merlin, what happened?"

"A bunch of things." Merlin replied coldly. "Lance, will you pass me my bag?"

"You're not going to use magic?" Gwaine asked as Lancelot retrieved the satchel and tossed it to Merlin.

"No." Merlin said, and dug through it for the salve he wanted.

"Why not?" Gwaine asked.

"He's done plenty of magic today already, I don't think it would be a good idea-" Percival began.

"I'm actually not very good with healing spells. I can't really do them to myself, it feels too weird. And Percival, you can stop going on about my limitations, I'm perfectly fine." Merlin snapped, annoyed that they had seen the scars.

"If you're perfectly fine," Percival returned, "Then why'd you faint earlier?"

"That wasn't because of magic. They'd hit my head not long beforehand." Merlin grumped as he tended his wound.

Percival frowned. "But that was a lot of magic..."

"It's different for me. Warlock, remember?" Merlin simplified so that technically, he wasn't lying. He just wasn't telling the whole truth, either. And then he was done tending to his wound, and reached to snatch his shirt from Arthur.

Arthur jerked it away. "I'll give it back to you if you tell me where you got one of those scars." He bargained, unable to tear his eyes from Merlin's chest.

"Fine." Merlin snapped. "One."

"The burn on your chest. Tell me how you got it."

Merlin lightly tapped the spot in question. "That is a messy story, that one." He commented. "Probably confuse you."

Arthur sighed. "Just tell it, Merlin."

"Well, when you were bitten by the questing beast-"

"How did you survive that, by the way? I most definitely didn't kill it... Oh, you did." Arthur interrupted.

"With your sword, yes. Anyway, I went to the Isle of the blessed and got some water from the cup of life. The price was my life for yours." Merlin didn't get to finish before Arthur was protesting. "Look, I'm still here, aren't I? So shut it, I want my shirt back. You drank the water, and you got better, but I was still fine. Then my mother got sick instead, so I had to go back to the Isle of the Blessed to insist on the original deal. Only Gaius got there first, and Nimueh had killed him- Relax, that's what I thought- so I insisted that that my life was to be taken.

"She didn't want to do that, and we ended up fighting. I got a fireball to the chest, and she got a bunch of lightning. I lived, she didn't. Trick was, Gaius wasn't dead yet, so when Nimueh died, the balance of life was restored. Gaius and I both came home." Merlin finished. He snatched his shirt back and tugged it on quickly while the knights thought about what he told them.

"You killed the sorceress Nimueh?" Leon blinked.

"Yes, I did. A long time ago, now." Merlin answered.

And in the silence, Merlin tended to the meal and served it. When he took the plates to wash them, he heard Arthur address the knights when he thought Merlin couldn't hear.

"I'd be correct to assume that none of you will be reporting Merlin?" There was no argument.

After Merlin packed the clean dishes, he returned to where the knights were laying out their bedrolls. To his surprise, his own bedroll was particularly close to Arthur's. He tended to the horses, and then sat on his bedroll.

The knights were debating who would take the first watch. Merlin thought to himself that if they weren't going to turn him in, he could do magic more openly with them. "Guys." He interrupted their bickering. "I'll take care of it."

"Merlin, you need the sleep just as much as the rest of us." Lancelot informed him.

"I didn't say I wouldn't sleep. Perimeter spell. It'll warn me if anything comes within the boundary." They watched as Merlin's eyes glowed gold as he set the spell. It would take them a while to get used to, but they were already coming to terms with the fact that he had magic.

That night, Arthur had a nightmare. He had similar ones before, where Merlin was discovered. Merlin had looked to Arthur for help, and he couldn't do anything. He was shackled to the throne, bound by the laws that hadn't changed.

Merlin woke with Arthur's distress, and managed to calm him, ensure that he was fine, that they were fine. As the two settled back to sleep, Arthur murmured a promise to Merlin. "Once I become king, the first law I'll change- I'll lift the ban. I swear it."

"You'd really do that?" Merlin whispered.

"Not would. Will." Arthur corrected.

And the knights wouldn't comment if the two had slept side by side, reassured that the other was safe.


End file.
